Monitoring Mon Life, Water Quality Vital
Leter to the Editor - Martin A. Niverth *
Washington PA Observer Reporter - 8 May 2010
Recently, the Pennsylvania Fish & Board Commission shut down the
Three Rivers Ecological Center in Pittsburgh. John Arway, PFBC
executive director, stated the reasoning behind the decision as lack of
accomplishment in the center's four-year history.
The Center was established with federal wildlife money, and the intent
of PFBC was that the center would one day become financially
self-sustaining. It would be quite a task to accomplish that in four
years, but PFBC has more problems than they can financially address.
Last year, the Greene County Conservation District allocated $15,000 in
an effort conducted through the Three Rivers Ecological Center to
monitor aquatic life in the Monongahela River. That money was directed
specifically toward the monitoring of macro-invertebrate species such
as aquatic insects and crustaceans. Other money was used to monitor
fish. The intent was to continue establishing a historical
database of aquatic life and its relationship to water quality.
Hopefully, the Conservation District will be rewarded, as promised,
with a presentation conducted by the PFBC that addresses the findings
of the macro-invertebrate study as well as other survey results. Also,
it is very important that the monitoring of the Monongahela is
continued by PFBC, even though the Three Rivers Ecological Center no
longer exists. West Virginia's Department of Natural Resources is
aggressively pursuing the study of Monongahela aquatic life, and it is
important to hold up our end in Pennsylvania. The Monongahela River
watershed is in critical times. We use the river for drinking water,
industrial use, transportation and recreation. We have too many eggs in
the Monongahela basket, and we need to watch the river very carefully,
not just to learn about its aquatic life, but to learn how we can
improve and sustain its water quality. There is too much to gain, and
way too much to lose.
Martin A. Niverth
* Martin A. Niverthis a Director of UMRA
and has been active in the management of the Greene County
Conservation District.